Even before she freed herself from the people she was helping when I arrived, I could see that this was the expert jeweler in the room. In fact, it surprised me that (–we’ll call her “Kate”) –that Kate even decided to come over to wait on me, as it was obvious that she was accustomed to dealing with the weightier matters of the business, and it was busy in the store that afternoon. Nevertheless, this beautiful, well dressed young woman arrived to help me, examining my wedding ring with an attentive care and lack of pretentiousness that melted through any reservations I’d felt.

As she leaned over the counter and gazed intently through the magnifying glass, adjusting the ring with her fingers, I was surprised by the sight of her hands, turning and adjusting the ring deftly under the light, — between the stub of her missing thumb and forefinger!

Even more amazing, there wasn’t the slightest hint of self-consciousness in her bearing. Her concern was focused on me, the customer, and explaining to me the value of servicing and maintaining my most precious possession. You would have thought that her handicap didn’t even exist and that all that mattered was the customer’s welfare and interests.

Now, it would have been perfectly normal for “Kate” to wear her neediness on her sleeve so that clients were obliged to compensate for her and continually bolster her pride, wouldn’t it? Yes , it would. But such was her amazing capacity for reaching out to others and using her expertise to their best advantage, that the question of self validation was lost in service, and the customer uplifted instead. It would have been so easy for someone in this profession to disparage my humble little diamond, but instead, it was given the royal treatment. Not only did I feel comfortable around this individual, but her manner persuaded me that it was my needs that were important, not hers.

A class act, right? I’m not one for spending a hundred dollars on luxuries, but I am actually looking forward to having my rings cleaned again next year! That’s just how effective such outstanding service can be. Having received this kind of tutelage from an unsuspecting mentor, I am eager to apply it as I engage my own customers in the future, not for my sake alone, but as fine and worthy jewels, to be treated and blessed by “the hands of the jeweler”.